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Clinton and Sanders made their second joint appearance in the state since the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in February. They appeared together in July, when Sanders endorsed Clinton in Portsmouth, effectively ending the Democratic nomination battle.

Officials estimated the crowd at the field house at about 1,200.

Clinton needs the millions of young people who flocked to Sanders’ primary campaign to support him in the general election, just as Donald Trump needs reluctant Republicans who backed other candidates in the GOP primary to coalesce behind him.

Sanders took the stage first, and in vintage form, urged students to “stand together” and “stand up to the powerful and wealthy and greedy special interests” to bring “fundamental change to higher education in our country.

“Today when we talk about public education, it must be about making public college and universities tuition-free for the middle class and working families of our country,” Sanders said.

He said that after the primary campaign ended, he and Clinton “came together and agreed that every family in this country earning $125,000 or less should be able to send their kids to public colleges and universities tuition-free.”

“This is a revolutionary proposal for the future of our country with wide-ranging implications,” Sanders said.

Under Clinton’s proposal, Sanders explained, “If you are a low-income family or a working family, if your kid studies hard and does well, regardless of your income, your kid will be able to make it to college. That is a big deal.”

Clinton, taking the stage after Sanders spoke, said, “Isn’t this one of the strangest elections you’ve ever seen? I really sometimes don’t know what to make of it.”

Clinton noted that – as WMUR.com first reported earlier this week – 150 New Hampshire Republicans have endorsed her campaign.

“They understand how high the stakes are,” she said.

Clinton said that in addition to pushing for tuition-free public college, she is committed to ensuring that those who already have student debt will be able to refinance it at lower interest rates.

“It is absolutely outrageous that you cannot refinance student debt,” she said. “That’s outrageous.” And, she noted, student debt interest rates are higher than interest rates for automobile loans or home mortgages.

“I don’t know how we got to this point, but it’s wrong,” she said.

She said there is a calculator on her website to help those with student loans figure out how much money they will save by refinancing their loans.

Clinton and Sanders then sat down for a panel discussion and question-and-answer session with audience members. The discussion was moderated by Clinton supporter Mary Jo Brown, a UNH graduate who has owned and headed Brown Company Design, a strategic graphic and web design firm in Portsmouth.

Sanders, meanwhile, noted that New Hampshire is a battleground state, that the election is close, “and New Hampshire could decide the outcome."

“So I’m asking you who are here today not only to vote for Secretary Clinton, but to work hard to get your uncles, your aunts, to get your friends to vote," said Sanders.

For some supporters who turned out to the rally, this will be their first time voting in a presidential election.

“I think it would be awesome if she was our first female president," said UNH student Julia Marshall.

"I think it's already a great country, so I think Secretary Clinton’s optimistic tone is really fantastic," said William Yee, a student at St. Paul’s School in Concord.

A crowd of Green Party supporters were also there, protesting.

“Here I am, protesting my party of 40 years,” said Paula Iasella, of Wilton, a self-described lifelong Democrat. “I was in Philly for the DNC, and what I witnessed there – if that wasn't enough to make me leave the party, I don't know what was."

Protestors said they were hoping the debates would include other parties besides Republican and Democrat.

Also speaking at the UNH event were Gov. Maggie Hassan and former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.

NHGOP criticism

Prior to the Clinton-Sanders event, the state Republican Party held a conference call with NHGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horn and former Gov. John H. Sununu, who formally endorsed Trump on Tuesday.

“Hillary has a millennial math problem,” Horn said. “Young people don’t trust her any more than anyone else does. We saw in the recent polls that only 33 percent of 18-29-year-olds approve of her. This is why she needs to bring Bernie Sanders with her to fill a room at the UNH campus.

“Hillary Clinton can’t win without New Hampshire and she can’t win without millennials. That is a big problem for a Democratic nominee,” Horn said.

Sununu said: “I find it interesting that her solution to go after the millennials is to bring in the two most socialist Democrat senators in Congress – Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. I think it is a reflection of the fact that Mrs. Clinton thinks she has to run to the extreme left in order to coalesce her party.

“I suspect she finds herself between a rock and a hard place,” Sununu said. “Although the Sanders and Warren philosophies may play well with young millennials in the state, it certainly will not play well with the older population.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts campaigned for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire last weekend.